December 16, 2011

The challenges to restrictive government-issued photo ID requirements are underway. However, the only people who seem to be paying attention to the new barriers to the ballot box are lawyers, activists, advocates and TV talking heads.

As John McWhorter writes, many voters without an official photo ID don't have a clue what's going on:

Without a doubt, Republicans' studious interest in state-issued photo ID cards is a sham. It's the elderly and minorities—brown ones, to be specific—who are least likely to have such identification, least likely to hear that they need it, and least likely to be able to obtain it quickly upon finding out.

So I'm answering Attorney General Eric Holder's call for citizens to "speak out. Raise awareness about what’s at stake." Over the next few months, I will conduct person-in-the-street interviews and ask folks to show me their government-issued photo ID as a way to start the conversation.

The Cost of Freedom Project is developing a location-based web app for voters who don't have a passport card, passport, driver's license, non-driver's license or any other government-issued photo ID. And they may not have "a pot or a window." But they have the right to vote.

December 14, 2011

Last night, Attorney General Eric Holder delivered his highly anticipated speech on voting rights at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas. The venue is of particular significance given that President Johnson signed into law the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The new photo ID requirements in South Carolina and Texas are under review by the Justice Department so Holder was judicious in his remarks.

I was heartened by Holder's call for citizens to get in the arena:

Only we, the people, can bring about meaningful change.

So speak out. Raise awareness about what's at stake. Call on our political parties to resist the temptation to suppress certain votes in the hope of attaining electoral success and, instead, encourage and work with the parties to achieve this success by appealing to more voters. And urge policymakers at every level to reevaluate our election systems – and to reform them in ways that encourage, not limit, participation.

Today, we cannot – and must not – take the right to vote for granted. Nor can we shirk the sacred responsibility that falls upon our shoulders.

December 13, 2011

While the Republican presidential wannabes continue to duke it out, concerned citizens, civil rights and advocacy groups are fighting to make sure that every voter has equal access to the ballot. With the wave of new voting requirements since 2008, the Brennan Center for Justice estimates that more than five million registered voters may be disenfranchised.

In a recent op-ed, state Sen. Daylin Leach told the real story of voter impersonation:

A study conducted by President George W. Bush's Justice Department found that, out of more than 300 million votes cast from 2002 to 2007, there were only 86 cases of voter fraud nationwide and that most of them involved immigrants who misunderstood their eligibility. In Pennsylvania, since 2004, there have been more than 20 million votes cast and four convictions for fraud, all of which involved people registering when not eligible. None of these cases involved someone pretending to be someone she was not.

Fraudulently impersonating a voter is already a felony. Risking years in prison to gain an undeserved vote seems like a low-gain, high-risk crime, which is probably why it never happens. In addition, a voter already has to show proof of who he is the first time he votes in a new precinct. Thus, under current law, Pennsylvania has significant and apparently effective protections in place to ensure the integrity of the voting process.

We know what the problem is. With the election 329 days away, we can be part of the solution.

One of the lessons of the Tea Party and Occupy movements is that citizens don't need permission to advocate for their own interests. If you are concerned about the impact of photo ID requirements on voter turnout, pull up a chair and get involved with the citizen-powered Cost of Freedom Project.

December 12, 2011

Seventy years later, Republican fear of “voter impersonation” has led to “the 4 proofs” test in order to vote.

The Pioneer Press reports some Wisconsin voters are having trouble showing proof of their identity:

Jennifer “Rita” Platt says she's determined to vote next year, but Wisconsin isn't making it easy for her.

She and the rest of Wisconsin's voters will need to comply with a new voter ID law when they go to the polls in February's primaries.

With few exceptions, those without the proper ID can't vote.

But Platt and her boyfriend don't have forms of identification accepted at the polls, so they recently drove about 45 minutes to a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Hudson to each get an ID.

They encountered two problems.

The DMV office's computer system was down, which meant they couldn't get an ID processed. And they were told they didn't have the proper identification to get a state ID card or a Wisconsin driver's license, Platt said.

“They said I didn't have a certified birth certificate or a current passport,” said Platt, who said she had asked the DMV what was needed before heading to Hudson.

She had brought an expired Iowa driver's license, her Social Security card and a pay stub from the St. Croix Falls school district, where she works as a librarian, believing those items would satisfy the DMV's requirements, she said.

Platt, of Osceola, said she is going to have to find her certified birth certificate or request a new one, take unpaid time off from work and again make the trip to the DMV.

She'll eventually get an ID despite the financial cost and inconvenience, she said. Other people, however, may not be so determined, she added.

The Cost of Freedom Project is developing a location-based web app that will provide voters like Jennifer Platt the information they need before waiting in line to apply for a voter ID. This citizen-led initiative is powered by developers, researchers, activists, bloggers and ordinary Americans who are concerned about the burdensome impact of restrictive photo ID requirements.

December 07, 2011

On Monday, the NAACP and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund released a 67-page report, "Defending Democracy," that documents how new voting requirements, including photo ID, “block the vote.”

It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words.

The black unemployment rate is 15.5 percent. A lot of folks are busted and too broke to pay attention. In eight states, registered voters without a government-issued photo ID face a stark choice: Eat or pay the cost of a “free” voter ID.

In D.C., Occupy protesters have interpreted a new notice from the National Park Service as proof that their encampment’s days, too, are numbered, but they say they aren’t going anywhere.

The memo, released Nov. 23, states that U.S. Park Police officers will be increasing patrol activities at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza “due to increasing problems of public urination and defecation, illegal drug and alcohol use, and assaults.” The memo also reminds protesters that camping is prohibited in both parks.

Last month, I visited McPherson Square, aka “Camp David.”

It's hard to believe that mess is just two blocks from the the White House. You get a sense of the doom and gloom as soon as you exit the McPherson Square Metro stop, which the homeless have occupied for years.

Truth be told, McPherson Square has long been a gathering place for the homeless. When I lived in DC, I avoided both the Metro stop and the park after dark.